Regulating diet while recovering

Some of you know this — I underwent a minor surgery recently. I’m recovering well, but there’s a problem…

I’m dying to get back to the gym! I haven’t been away from the gym for this long (almost 3 weeks and counting) since I took up powerlifting. It’s sort of driving me nuts (and nostalgic… perhaps that explains why I’ve been posting strength training related content for the past couple of days)!

Right now, I’m just focusing on high-protein and low to moderate amount of carbs (between 100 and 150 grams vs close to 300 grams when I’m training) and a lot of rest. The wound is healing up pretty well. I’m happy with the tissue development and the way I’ve been disciplined about it overall. I know people tend to get a little carried away post surgery but I can’t let that happen.

Training is a priority for me. I’ve already missed so many days and missing out on a few more (if I end up aggravating the wound/healing process) wouldn’t be a pleasant experience.

Besides ample rest, I’ve observed weight loss out of the blue. I was expecting to gain weight. One of the reasons could be that I have defaulted to my usual diet — slow carb — and am quite enjoying it, particularly considering how hard it can be for Indians. Swapping out bread and rice for just lentils, mixed veggies and meat is well, insane. But honestly, it’s way simpler for me to do so while I’m not training.

And remember, slow carb isn’t a low carb or high-fat diet. I see them a fad diets (because they are) that benefit you over the short term but hurt you more over the horizon. The body needs a healthy dose of macronutrients. And I get enough carbs from the slow carb (100-150 grams compared to 0-30 grams in a low carb or high-fat diet like the keto diet), keeping me satiated and healthy.

It’s not for everyone but I certainly find it much easier to follow and adopt it as part of my “usual” diet. In fact, from 2010 to 2014, I adhered to slow carb to the core. And it was so freaking hard for me to include carbs in my diet. I did it eventually because my training started to suffer.

While there’s no way of knowing if switching to my default diet is speeding up recovery or benefiting the whole process, but I’m happy overall.

The principle at work is pretty simple — focus on a strategy that works over the long haul and things would fall back in place. There’s only so much you can do by avoiding macronutrients. They’re labeled as “macronutrients” for a reason. Respect that and everything else would be just fine.